


Real Witches Can Fly

by melanoradrood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28491222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoradrood/pseuds/melanoradrood
Summary: Real Witches Can Fly, and Hermione trusts only one person to help her face her fears.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 18
Kudos: 161
Collections: The Dramione Collection





	Real Witches Can Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Dialogue: “You’re the only one I trust to do this.”
> 
> For glassxskin on tumblr.

“Granger… When a Slytherin offers you a favor, any favor, no questions asked… this is not what you do with it.”

After hearing a number of stories in the Eighth Year common room, particularly about Hermione Granger and her  _ creativity _ , he had expected something  _ more _ from him losing a favor to her. It had been done on a whim - he still had had coin to wager, alcohol, any number of things, but a favor… Those were hard won.

A part of him, perhaps, had hoped to have some grand adventure with her, like she had once had with Potter and Weasley, and maybe they could finally move past the awkwardness between them. He had expected some sort of midnight endeavor that righted the wrongs of the world, or at least of Hogwarts.

Instead, his promised favor,  _ no questions asked _ , had resulted in him standing on the quidditch pitch, his broom and Theo’s both in hand.

“You said no questions asked,” she insisted, her voice reaching a higher pitch than normal, a sure sign that she was stressed. “So, ask no questions. Teach me how to fly a broom.”

A childish part of him, the boy that was still 14 and his father’s word was law, wanted to laugh at her, ask why she didn’t ask her friends, but for once, he kept his mouth shut, grabbing his broom from her and climbing aboard.

It took nearly an hour to get her confidently off the ground, and nearly another hour more to get her to turn right, left, and then feet back on the ground. It was certainly nothing exceptional, would be laughed out of a game, but she was off the ground, and, as evidenced by the dirt on her clothing, that was honestly an improvement from where they had started.

She was no longer stumbling with every landing, and after a little flourish with the end of the broom ( Draco would swear on his grave it was amazing but most would not have even seen it ), she now stood in front of him, clearly pleased at accomplishing what have must been a lifelong goal. He could still remember the little girl that had been unable to even call her broom to her in first year. And now… well, she was off the ground. That little girl should be proud.

Granger was taking a deep breath now, looking at him and he was prepared for some sort of Gryffindor heartfelt thank you, but instead- “Will you take me up with you this time?”

His brow immediately raised in question - the favor part of their exchange was done, but he was a Slytherin. If she wanted more from him, she had to earn it. 

“Only if you’ll tell me why you asked me to teach you how to fly.”

She looked almost embarrassed at his question, and then, it was like a cloud went over her. Her face sunk, pain clear in her eyes, and she withdrew from him, the broom she held in her hands falling to the ground as she rubbed at her forearm. He knew what was underneath her sweater sleeve there…

“In second year… I overheard you, when you said that I wasn’t a proper witch, that I couldn’t even fly.”

Draco couldn’t remember saying it, but it sounded like something he would have said… likely including the word that he would never allow to pass from his lips again. 

“And so, because of something my idiot twelve year old self said-”

“Witches fly.” She had interrupted him, but there was a sense of finality in her words. “That holds true, even in Muggle stories. Witches can fly, and I could not, all because of a stupid fear of heights.”

He felt as though she was not done, but the cloud was growing darker, so he interrupted it himself, climbing back onto his broom and offering his hand to her. “The only way to get over your fear is to face it. Come on.”

She didn’t hesitate, taking his hand immediately, and he helped her up onto the broom, in front of him. She should have sat behind, he knew that, but… well, maybe a foolish part of him just wanted her in his arms. He would think about that later. Right now, all he wanted to think about was kicking up off the ground and flying into the air.

They didn’t speak as he flew, not going too fast, weaving them back and forth, around the towers and the hoops, then over towards the castle as well. She was relaxed in his arms in minutes, but he did not slow. If she wanted to fly, if it was important to her that a witch could fly, he would help her to fly.

She was a hell of a witch. She needed to know that.

They were hovering near one of the towers when she finally looked back over her shoulder towards him. He kept them in place, not moving the broom forward, waiting for whatever it was she was building up towards.

“During the war… I flew during the war. And before, for that matter. Thestrals, a hippogriff, on a broom, on a dragon-”

“You flew on a dragon?” he asked, interrupting her.

The look she gave him told him to shut up, before she continued.

“The point is, I flew because I had to, because otherwise, people would die. I would die. And I was… terrified. I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. I spent so many years afraid, afraid all of the time, and now…”

She looked forwards again, and then down at her hands. He watched as one hand released the broom, and then the other. Her arms went out to either side of her, and he realized, in fear, that the only thing keeping her on the broom was her legs, wrapped around it. His own hand released the broom, arm going around her middle, and he held her to him as she started to laugh, something joyful and young and pure and clean.

She laughed until she was gasping for air, the pair of them just hovering above Hogwarts, young and free and brave and-

“You know the fear I felt. I know that everyone that stayed here, they… I’m not saying Hogwarts was easy for anyone, but my fears were death, torture, ra-”

“I know,” he said, cutting her off, and his arm tightened around her, his lips going to her ear. “Everyone says they know what I went through, but he was… he was right down the hall from my childhood bedroom.”

He felt a lump in his throat, but he choked it back. This wasn’t about him.

“I wanted a happy memory. I wanted to feel like a real witch, no pain, just joy.”

“You are a real witch,” he insisted, and his nose brushed against her temple, something intimate that he could not stop himself from doing. “You’re the most powerful witch I’ve ever seen.”

She was quiet in his arms, and he considered taking them back down to ground, when she turned to look up at him, her eyes big and full of pain… and then, full of trust. 

“You’re the only one I trusted to do this. The only one I wanted to do this with.”

He said nothing, just looked down at her. He had no words for that, no response practiced, no idea how to… the trust in her eyes…

Eventually, she returned her hands to the broom, and he brought them back down to the pitch. He expected it to be awkward, as he picked up Theo’s broom from where it had been left behind, but then she was reaching out, grabbing his hand, and he let her.

They walked together towards the castle, and when she looked up at him with a smile on her face, he smiled back down at her, squeezing her hand.

And she squeezed back.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://melanoradrood.tumblr.com).


End file.
